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Bloggers, you can use photographs from here for free, if your your blog is non-commercial. If a commercial website, the cost is nominal. All pictures on this blog are copyrighted to me. If an image is used, do attribute it as specified here! These photos are only for blogs/websites. If distributed, same conditions apply to end-user. Brick and mortar businesses have to pay (unless non-profit).Thanks.

The photos cannot be sold. For commercial purposes other than the web, pay as specified here. Select photos by using the SEARCH function under the Archives, found at the bottom of page (my email id is there too) or labels at bottom of each post. To see original image, click on image or ask me for a bigger and better one.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Photographs of Jackfruit and also some close-ups of the fruit which is known as phanas in India. The fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit and can weigh as much as 35 kilograms. It has a strong smell but there are parts of India, particularly the south and coastal areas where it is popular. Inside it is orange/yellow in colour. Outside it has a spiky green exterior. Besides the fibre and vitamin C content like all fruits, jackfruits are also rich in B-Complex vitamins.

Two large phanas or jackfruit hanging on a tree.

Close-up of the jackfruit spikes makes the small projections look a little like green bananas!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Here are more interesting frescoes and sculptures from the Aurangabad Caves which are more than ten centuries old. This Indian classical art is as good as any found at Ajanta or Ellora and are a treat for the eyes. Most of this art is from the exterior walls of the temple caves which are all Buddhist shrines.

Here is a figure of a woman at the door of the caves, the entry into the Buddhist temple. Around her are decorated pillars.

A shot of the angel type figures near the ceiling of these spectacular caves.

A sculpture of Buddha just outside the Buddhist temples of the Aurangabad caves.

Another image of Buddha carved out of stone with some attendant figures on the side. Buddha is sitting with folded legs and hands. The throne on which he is sitting shows remnants of carvings.

A peep inside the inner sanctum to see the diety of Buddha through a door. At the entrance into the sanctum are two large figures of Buddha.

More images of art from Inside Aurangabad Caves and exterior shots
Or check out all images filed under Ajanta or Ellora, or try the label "Buddhism" for sculptures and shrines of Buddha from different parts of the world.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Here are photographs of a luggage belt (called a baggage carousel) at an airport baggage claims center, with air passengers waiting for their baggage. A view from the top airplane passengers waiting for their luggage on a luggage belt. Large airports all have this system of offloading luggage for the benefit of passengers. This picture is taken at Goa airport.

Most passengers appear to have picked up their luggage, while others are still waiting.

This one is an unusual baggage retrieval counter! It is round or circular in shape, and the image is of Koh Samui airport. Being a small airport (Koh Samui is an island off the coast of Thailand) it doesn't need a very large baggage carousel.

Some food item has spilled on to the luggage belt but no one's complaining!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Indian fishing boats and trawlers on the Goa coast in the Indian ocean. Here is a bunch of Goan fishing boats bunched up and parked near the Goa shores. Some bigger trawlers and boats can be seen seen in the distance, some of them tourist boats.

A wider view of the small fishing boats on the Goa coast. The larger versions of these photos allow you to see a wealth of detail!

Friday, June 15, 2012

These pictures are from Taman Negara, the National Park in Malaysia and a popular tourist spot. These canoes are used by tourists to navigate the well preserved Tahan river which snakes through the park.
Long canoe type boats which have a roof to protect you from the rain somewhat but offer a great view of the river.

The boatman piloting our canoe. The river and forest can be seen in the background.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

These are sculptures from the Aurangabad Caves. The dozen caves are a treasurehouse of art and sculpture going back almost ten centuries. These Buddhist caves are often neglected due to the presence of the Ajanta and
Ellora caves nearby. These 12 rock-cut Buddhist shrines house amazing ancient sculptures of Buddha and numerous other figures, many of them women. These sculptural carvings of Aurangabad Caves are true Indian classical art and are equal in artistry to those at Ajanta or Ellora.

This is a figure of Buddha inside and inner sanctum of the caves. Bits of faded paint is visible even now, after hundreds of years!

Another figure of Buddha inside a cave.

The artist could be representing apsaras or angels - mythical figures or they could be simply devotees of Buddha, ordinary women who worshipped him. The woman in the middle seems to be a dancer.
Unfortunately most of these sculptures lie neglected with rat and bat droppings all around. The caves also stink of rat and bat droppings. Such beautiful art should be restored and somehow protected from wild animals, birds and also the ravages of the weather and dampness.

A group of female devotees kneeling have been carved into the walls of the cave. One of them appears to be clapping her hands. Could she be singing?

This is a fresco showing Buddha and an entourage on the walls of the caves. The paint is now gone, but the remnants can be seen.

A couple with a child carved into the inside of the cave. The man appears to be carrying something. Perhaps gifts for Buddha?

Related Pictures: Check out all images filed under Aurangabad Caves which includes pictures of the Aurangabad Caves Exteriors as well as carvings and other Indian classical art from these caves.
Or check out all images filed under Ajanta and Ellora or try the label Buddhism for sculptures and shrines of Buddha from different parts of the world.

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. It's architecture and sculpted decorations and paintings are famous. Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio worked on the paintings and frescoes in the chapel.

The image below is a wide angle view of the famous Sistine chapel which lies in Vatican city. Hundreds of tourists are milling about. The actual chapel is quite plain from the outside.

Another view of the large Sistine Chapel area.

The crowds at the Sistine Chapel are huge and this photo captures some of them.

This is one of the doors, an exit. A guard in costume is standing at the door. Even here elaborate sculpted figures can be seen. The door is huge and at the top there is a small painting with sculptures of angels on each side of it. Like many ancient doors this one too seems to be fortified with iron protrusions.

A view of the chapel and the buildings around it in Vatican city.

The actual structures of the chapel and the buildings around it are all decorated with sculptures on the roof and the dome is also very elaborately decorated.

Friday, June 8, 2012

These are pictures of extraordinary ancient Indian art and architecture from the 6th and 7the centuries. These cave temples are Buddhist shrines cut out of rock on a hill-side near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. Unfortunately they have been given less importance due to the spectacular caves temples at Ajanta and Ellora, also on the outskirts of Aurangabad city and probably for the same reason UNESCO has not declared this as a World Heritage monument or site. However, the Aurangabad caves are a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India and something no tourist should miss because of its sheer historical significance. Like the Ajanta and Ellora cave temples, these caves lay forgotten as they had been built in the wilderness and the Mughal rulers failed to destroy them.

One has to walk up the hill-side to see these caves but the walk is worth it. In any case the steps are not very steep as can be seen in these photographs. This photo was taken from near the top of the hill, outside the cave temples.

This is a picture of the exterior of the caves with its elaborately carved pilars and some broken statues in the front. A lot of erosion has taken place and one wonders whether any restoration work is planned.

A look at the rough exterior of the Aurangabad temple caves.

A view of the inside of the of the corridors inside the Aurangabad caves. A sculpture of Buddha with some other unknown figures next to him is visible at the end of the corridor. All the carvings are elaborate and one can only imagine the beauty of these caves all those centuries ago! Just the thought takes one's breath away.

A closer look at the carved pillars inside the Aurangabad temple caves.

A deity can be seen inside the inner sanctum of the caves. Has to be Buddha.

Check out all images filed under Aurangabad Caves which includes pictures of the interior and the sculptures and carvings inside and also Ajanta and Ellora . Or try the label "Buddhism" for sculptures and shrines of Buddha from different parts of the world.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Grasse is a town in France considered the capital of perfume. For several hundred years this place has had a flourishing perfume industry.
Although there is nothing much else of tourist interest in Grasse (except a cathedral) people do come to see the perfume factories and how perfume is made. The town itself is surrounded by hills and is a picturesque place.

This urban landscape shows you the neat buildings with the hills and sky in the background.

Monday, June 4, 2012

This is a black and white silhouette of a skyline which is representative of London city. The Tower Bridge in the background and the river Thames in the foreground. This bridge is often mistakenly called the London Bridge.

This is a silhouette of an ordinary street scene in London but some typical London sights are silhouetted against the sky. The London Eye can be seen silhouetted in the background and in the foreground there is traffic and buildings, a typical London telephone booth and a double decker bus.